Comptrollers Office Hartford Octo 18, 1788 Sir In answer to the questions proposed in your letter of the 9^th instant, you will please to observe, that the depreciation Accounts of the Connecticut Line for their services before the 1^st of January 1780 were settled by Committees of the State & Army, particularly chosen for that purpose, who met & agreed upon the principles of the settlement before the Act of Congress of the 10^th of April 1780 was passed — Any information which I therefore undertake to give you will please to consider as being less authentic than what may be derived from the Gentlemen who effected the settlement of those Accounts — These principles were settled by the Committee of the State & Army or by Acts of Assembly.— That no person who had left the service otherwise than by death before the 1^st of January 1780 should be entitled to a settlement — That all the advances made by the State to the Troops should be charged in the Settlement except what Cloathing had been delivered to them on account of the Continental Allowance — That the money received by the Troops for their nominal Wages should be charged at a mean value upon a presumption that it had been received from the United States — which was ascertained in the following manner, and included a compensation for the delay of payment of their Nominal Wages No. 5 — For payments on Account of services in the year 1777 at 1 of Specie for 2.77 of Nominal Money For payments on Account of services in the year 1778 at 1 of Specie for 5.25 of Nominal Money — For payments on account of services in the year 1779 at 1 of Specie for 8& Nominal Money — It was found by the Committee utterly impracticable in a settlement of so complicated a nature to adopt any other than general principles, those which I have stated were the most important which they adopted. — To apply the foregoing rule to Gen^l Saltmarsh's Acc^t, being the first charged by the State you will please to note, that the Generals pay for 1777 was $600. which a 2.77 for 1$ $2 12 [undecipherable] for 1778 . $600 . . . a 5.25 for 1 . . . . 114. 0 [undecipherable] for 1779 . $800 . . . a 1& for 1 . . . . . 25. 6. 8 the whole . $2000 amounting to . . . . . $364. 4. 6 which was the whole sum deducted from the Generals pay for Money paid by the United States — Notwithstanding I have endeavoured to find out the foundation of the charges included in the column mentioned in your letter, I am still unable to give you satisfactory information in this particular you may be assured however that the credit which ought to be rendered to the United States is inconsiderable [that no] entions on my part shall be wanting to have the sum accurately ascertained, which being done can be charged to the State in their Acc. with the United States. The remaining charges against the Army are altogether for State Supplies furnished which have been settled as State Accounts and have never been charged to the United States, if you judge that the examination of those papers will cast any light on the subject they are at your service, but the examination of them will be a work of great extent & in my opinion will be a labour useless to you. The State claim a right to charge the United States with the pay of the Connecticut Line after deducting the value of their nominal Wages agreeably to the scale before mentioned — To support this charge the papers exhibited to you are the returns of the Army which prove the service the settlements agreed upon, which prove the sums deducted for the nominal pay of the Troops, and the Acts of the State which avow their Assumption to discharge the balances found due — these papers in the opinion of such of the Commissioners of Accounts as I have conversed with are sufficient Vouchers to establish the claims of the State I am however possessed of all the papers relating to this subject & shall with the greatest pleasure exhibit any accounts or afford any information in my power. As the Committee of the State charges the nominal pay of the Army by on rule, returns from the Pay Masters Generals Office are unnecessary & were never obtained. Yours &c' C. Wolcott Jun^r Joseph Howell Jun^r Esq^r Commissr of Accts